Op Shop Haul : Books, Kitchen Stuff, and a Garden Thing

People often comment on how frequently I go op shopping, how many nice things I always find, have asked me to look for certain things they’re after, and even asked me to take them along on op shopping outings. It seems to be a special talent I have. Which I’m okay with because it’s heaps of fun and also very easy.

I do seem to have extraordinary luck in finding cool things in op shops and I often share some of these bargains on Instagram. The other day though, after a particularly successful trip, I thought I might start to post little op shop hauls to show you everything I find. Here we go!

This cute little house…thing. I’m not entirely sure what its intended purpose is but I plan on using it for sugar or salt. There’s no brand stamp on the bottom but there was a little tag from a previous sale attempt that says “Little house. Looks like Clarice Cliff (without the price tag!) $19” I’m not sure if it’s a collectable – I’m going to assume not because it’s not marked as being any particular brand. I paid $8.50 for it.

Another kitchen canister, a bit bigger this time though (and therefore probably better suited to tea bags). I thought this one was also really sweet and had nice pastel colours. I paid $4.00.

Yet ANOTHER kitchen related item. This cutie is handmade by Australian clay workers in Yarra Glen and was $4.25. I’m not entirely sure what I’ll use this one for as the holes rule out tea and salt. Perhaps sugar?

Probably one of my all-time favourite op shop purchases is this Mozi mug. Look at the giraffe! And it’s got a zebra on the inside too! $2.25, if you don’t mind.

How sweet is this cake stand? It seemed to be brand new too, in its box, and was only $5.25. I can’t wait to find an appropriate any occasion to whip this baby out.

I spotted this little tin bucket and thought it would look pretty darn cute with a cactus in it. I grabbed it for $3.50. I didn’t have a particular cactus in mind but I think this guy looks pretty happy there!

And finally, books. Books, books, glorious books. It’s the one section of any op shop I always make a beeline for. This time round, I grabbed:

“Finding Mr Darcy: Jane Austen’s guide to dating for the modern girl” by Amanda Hooton because Mr Darcy and lol. No matter that I’m in a committed relationship, I need this book in my life. $3.40.

Oxford German dictionary because despite the fact that I learnt German from Prep to Year 9, I can only remember how to say “I am a horse.” That’s not entirely true, I can remember a little more than that, but it’s fairly woeful. I’m hoping this will be the kick up the bum to finally download the Duolingo app. $2.40.

Yes please to all of these things. Do you enjoy a good op shop every now and then? What’s the best thing you’ve found?

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Jacquie is a 20-something maker and writer from Melbourne. She enjoys eating virtually anything that is labelled salted caramel and, contrary to popular belief, has forgotten how to ride a bike. She feels ambivalent about writing in the third person but thought it might be fun. It was.

8 comments

Ohh, great finds! I love the house and the green/blue canister, and the cake stand, and the
penguin books.
I found a cool mug at a Goodwill shop not long ago, it is from the 1980’s and has carrots on it!

Thanks Clare! I’m so happy with my finds 😀 That mug sounds delightful – isn’t it just the best when you find a great mug? Most of my favourite mugs are those I found in op shops. Thanks so much for commenting, Clare.

Nice treasure hunting Jacquie! I’m an op shop tragic too but somehow things have been reversed and I have others finding stuff for me, then madly ringing me saying “Do you want these vintage buttons? I found a Glomesh purse, There is a vintage pattern book you might like” etc etc. which is wonderful that people know what I like. The little house is adorable. it is so funny that it mentions Clarice Cliff as I am currently drafting a post about Clarice and a vase that my mum gave me recently. Stay tuned x

Thanks Karen! Ooh it’s so nice when people have found something and thought of you, isn’t it? And yes, the house is one of my absolute favourites. So sweet. Your post sounds intriguing – I’ll keep an eye out! x

You totally DO have the knack for it. Two of my besties are op shop fanatics and they dragged me a long on the weekend where I scored an insanely awesome hall table for $60. SIXTY!!! We painted it gloss black and it is going straight into the new warehouse space. I think they have convinced me that they and you for that matter are on to something pretty cool with op shops xx

One of us, one of us! Glad to hear you’ve been converted, Sonia. Op shops really are the best. $60 hall table = case in point. Furniture is always such an exciting find – I don’t have my own place yet so I’ve tried to train myself to avert my eyes when it comes to that stuff as I can’t take any of it home! Thanks so much for stopping past xx

Awmagawd. I can’t believe you found all that amazing stuff at op shops! Well, I can actually, because op shops are the best. There are NO op shops here in China. Sigh. You should DEFINITELY do regular posts of your op-shop hauls, I love seeing that stuff. Our most major second hand find was a double couch with a fold out bed, in a laneway behind the house of movie star Guy Pearce…goose down cushions! Craaaazy. Not really an op shop, but a major win. Also, if you really want to learn German, you totally have to first read this book called Fluent Forever by Gabriel Wyner. I’m a bit psycho about how to learn foreign languages because I think they’re often quite poorly taught, but this book will give you a leg up and show you how to remember all the new words, without needing to go to class etc. Happy op shopping! Enjoy those books and let me know if you get any wisdom from Henry Richardson (or find Mr Darcy…definitely let me know about that!) xx

I know, right?? Op shops are the bomb dot com. And as if there’s no op shops in China?? How sad. My condolences, Isabel, really. I will most definitely continue doing op shop haul posts, just for you! That fold-out couch sounds fantastic. And Guy Pearce?? He’s one of my favourites. So handsome. Anyhoo.

That book sounds fantastic! I’m secretly hoping that my brain remembers all the words I did know once upon a time and I’ll just suddenly remember them all and how to use them once I start trying 😛 We’ll see how that goes. Thanks for the recommendation!

I’m pretty excited for those books. Haven’t got into them just yet but might crack a few open in the coming weeks. Haha not too sure how Mr. birdandfox will feel about me looking for, and potentially finding, Mr. Darcy! Maybe we can all just be friends? Unless he does the jumping into the pond thing.

Jacquie

I'm a homebody who loves nothing more than curling up with a blanket, a book, and a cuppa (preferably with some bed socks too). When I eventually leave the house, you'll probably catch me op shopping, tending to my cacti collection, or singing along to the Mary Poppins soundtrack in the car.

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